The Cost of Gratitude: A Thanksgiving Bible Study

During this Thanksgiving season, have you considered the cost of gratitude? In this Thanksgiving Bible study, explore what it means to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) as you confront the obstacles between you and a grateful heart. Consider inviting someone to complete this Bible study with you.

Sitting around the table for a Thanksgiving feast usually includes listing the things we’re thankful for. Sometimes these declarations and prayers of gratitude are just platitudes. We say the right words, but we’re not really people who are characterized by a thankful spirit.

The author of Hebrews gives us a slightly different perspective on giving thanks. “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” Hebrews 13:15 (NIV). Giving thanks is a sacrifice of praise. A sacrifice, by definition, costs us something. Here are some ways giving thanks costs us, as well as what we have to give up in order to be grateful.

Pride

Read: Luke 18:9-14

Sometimes, we’re not grateful because we think we deserve something. We feel we earned it or that it’s ours by right. You don’t thank your employer for your paycheck because you earned it. While you may be thankful for your job, there are a lot of people just as qualified as you who don’t have jobs. Giving thanks can be a humbling proposition.

Reflect: Explore this passage in Luke. Who do you most identify with? Where do you notice entitlement or an attitude of superiority in your life? Talk with God about these costs of gratitude and your observations on His perspective. 

Comparison

Read: Hebrews 13:5-6; Ephesians 2:10

There are times when we’re not thankful because we don’t have exactly what we want (or think we want). Someone else has more than we do, or their life seems to be better. And yet, Scripture says that God gives us perfect gifts (James 1:17).

Reflect: Who is that person you constantly compare yourself to? What is it about them that you wish you had? Talk with God about it. Ask Him how He sees you and what He desires for you.

Priorities

Read: Luke 17:11-19

When Jesus healed 10 lepers, only one of them came back to thank him. Jesus even asked, “Where are the other nine?” The Bible doesn’t give us an answer. Wherever they were and whatever they were doing was more important to them than thanking Jesus. For one, however, giving thanks was the most important thing he could think of. And Jesus told him, “…your faith has made you well.”

Reflect: As you look at your calendar for this week, talk with God about what you desire to prioritize, and ask Him about what He desires for you to prioritize. Then, have a conversation with Him about how to realign anything that seems out of place.

There may be other things that keep us from developing thankful hearts and being grateful people. But these are a good place to start. This year, before you sit down to Thanksgiving dinner and share what you’re thankful for, grab a few minutes alone with God, and ask Him to show you what might be keeping you from being a thankful person.